The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

KAI Jones will make his debut with the Charlotte Hornets organisation while Travis Munnings, with the Golden State Warriors, will have an opportunity to make an impression on several franchises at the NBA Summer League.

Both players will participate with their respective franchises at the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2021, which will take place August 8-17 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. All 75 games of game action over the 10 days will air live on television on ESPN networks or NBA TV while all games will also be available to stream on the ESPN App.

The Charlotte Hornets kickoff the tournament on the first day with a game vs. the Portland Trail Blazers on August 8 at 6pm, which will air on NBA TV. They follow with games against the Sacramento Kings on August 9 and the San Antonio Spurs on August 12.

Jones was selected No. 19 overall by the New York Knicks but his rights were traded to the Hornets for a future first round pick. The 6’11” 225-pound frontcourt player out of Texas is versatile enough to play all three frontcourt positions, and is already looking ahead to his new NBA home in Charlotte, led by reigning rookie of the year, point guard LaMelo Ball.

The Hornets finished last season 33-39, 10th place in the Eastern Conference, an improvement on their 23-42 finish in the previous season.

“It’s perfect timing.

“This team is on the rise and us coming in as two young exciting guys adds to that. They have players like LaMelo who can really pass the ball and they like to run so - I love running, I know James loves running too so it’s going to be showtime, I’m excited,” Jones said.

Munnings had previous affiliations with NBA franchises coming out of Louisiana-Monroe but opted to pursue opportunities in Europe instead.

Prior to the 2019 NBA Draft, he was invited to pre-draft workouts with the Hornets, Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves before eventually going undrafted.

He recently completed his first season with UD Oliveirense club in the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol (LPB).

He finished the season with averages of 12.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. His team finished the season at 19-7.

At the national team level Munnings averaged 15 points per game to lead The Bahamas to a 3-0 record at the recent FIBA World Cup 2023 Americas Pre-Qualifiers for Group. The team advanced to the next round in November.

The Warriors begin their pre-season campaign at the California Classic Summer League hosted by the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center before playing in the MGM Resorts Las Vegas Summer League.

The Warriors open Sumner League play against the Orlando Magic on Monday, August 9.

Each of the 30 teams participate in the Las Vegas Summer League and play five games each. The two teams with the best records at the end of four games will play the Finals while the rest of the 28 teams play an extra game.